Sources say leaked CETA draft aimed at mollifying opponents

Restive Belgian Walloons threatening to block Canada-EU trade deal

A joint statement on the free trade deal between Canada and the European Union is aimed at mollifying its opponents, sources say — including restive Walloons in Belgium who are threatening to block the agreement.

The leaked draft of the five-page summary, now widely circulated, is supposed to accompany the transatlantic deal’s final signing later this month in Brussels.

Stamped “Final Draft,” the statement addresses contentious portions of the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement — including the investor-state dispute resolution mechanism — that were rewritten to save the deal from being rejected in Germany and France.

Now, opposition to the deal is festering among Belgium’s French-speaking Walloons, one of the three regions of the country that must ultimately approve the deal.

A senior European diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, tells The Canadian Press that the threat posed by the Walloons is the greatest obstacle to getting CETA done.

The diplomat, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, says the statement was written in a way that explains the deal in reassuring, easy-to-read terms.